Lord Alaric Wilde, son of the Duke of Lindow, is the most celebrated man in England, revered for his dangerous adventures and rakish good looks. Arriving home from years abroad, he has no idea of his own celebrity until his boat is met by mobs of screaming ladies. Alaric escapes to his father’s castle, but just as he grasps that he’s not only famous but notorious, he encounters the very private, very witty, Miss Willa Ffynche.

Willa presents the façade of a serene young lady to the world. Her love of books and bawdy jokes is purely for the delight of her intimate friends. She wants nothing to do with a man whose private life is splashed over every newspaper.

Alaric has never met a woman he wanted for his own . . . until he meets Willa. He’s never lost a battle.

But a spirited woman like Willa isn’t going to make it easy. . . .

Alaric is shocked when he finds out he’s a celebrity. He’s returned to England from his many adventures around the globe and finds himself famous. He has written books that have become best sellers, but he had no idea that a play was the main cause. The play portrays him as an incredible romantic – something he is definitely not.

Alaric arrives at his family home just in time for a house party in celebration of his brother’s betrothal. Alaric meets Willa and sees her as someone different. She doesn’t fawn all over him and states that she’s never read his books. He’s intrigued, and he makes it a point to spend more time with her.

Willa and her friend are not what they appear to be. They tell bawdy jokes and have a wicked sense of humor but on the outside they are the perfect ladies. Willa has turned down no less than 14 marriage proposals this season alone as she has no wish to marry until she finds the perfect man for her. When someone from Alaric’s past arrives at the party he uses Willa as his fake fiancé. The thing that surprises the couple is that both of them would like it to be a true engagement.

This was a great book. It started off with such charm and humor I was instantly invested in the story. Alaric proved to be a wonderful hero. He was such a normal guy who did extraordinary things and had written books about his adventures. Some thought they were fiction, but he had truly lived through it all. He fell hard and fast for Willa and I loved it. He was a good man and I liked his character immensely.

Willa was an intelligent woman who wanted nothing to do with adventure. Her parents had died while they were being reckless and Willa just wanted a normal life – husband, children, no adventure. I liked that she wanted nothing to do with Alaric at first as she thought him a sham. I loved reading about the two of them falling in love as she was so wrong about Alaric.

This was a fantastic start to a new series and I can’t wait to see what happens next with Alaric’s brother, North.

Good morning, Book Binge readers! Our friends over at Avon Romance have put together a fun scavenger hunt for Wilde in Love by Eloisa James and we are thrilled to be participating in it. This book promises to kick off the Wildes of Lindow Castle series with a fabulous romance and we’re here for it.

Lord Alaric Wilde, son of the Duke of Lindow, is the most celebrated man in England, revered for his dangerous adventures and rakish good looks. Arriving home from years abroad, he has no idea of his own celebrity until his boat is met by mobs of screaming ladies. Alaric escapes to his father’s castle, but just as he grasps that he’s not only famous but notorious, he encounters the very private, very witty, Miss Willa Ffynche.

Willa presents the façade of a serene young lady to the world. Her love of books and bawdy jokes is purely for the delight of her intimate friends. She wants nothing to do with a man whose private life is splashed over every newspaper.

Alaric has never met a woman he wanted for his own . . . until he meets Willa. He’s never lost a battle.

But a spirited woman like Willa isn’t going to make it easy. . . .

The first book in Eloisa James’s dazzling new series set in the Georgian period glows with her trademark wit and sexy charm—and introduces a large, eccentric family. Readers will love the Wildes of Lindow Castle!

Eloisa James is here today to help us keep the scavenger hunt party going so check it out…

Order the Book:

Guest Post

Hello!

I’m so thrilled to be introducing my new series and the amazing, eccentric cast of characters that stars in it — including the Duke of Lindow, his third duchess, his ten children, his ward, his twin sister, a peacock… Wilde in Love takes place at Lindow Castle during a house party to celebrate the engagement of Lord Roland Northbridge Wilde—known to his friends as North—to Miss Diana Belgrave.

Book Binge is kind enough to help me introduce the Wildes to the world. This blog is part of a scavenger hunt, and you’ll find a contest form here on my website for you to fill out after visiting each blog. (or you could just grab Wilde in Love and learn all about the characters that way!).

Daily prizes range from an adorable skunk purse to a complete collection of my 20+ Avon novels. — be sure to check my Facebook page here every day to find the new blog link! Good luck!

Today we are highlighting North, the future Duke of Lindow, who is wildly (ha) in love with his fiancée. Diana’s feelings are less clear!

5 Reasons to Respect Lord Roland Northbridge Wilde

He fell instantly in love with Miss Diana Belgrave (the feeling wasn’t mutual).

He put on a towering wig and yellow heels to impress the lovely Diana (it didn’t work).

He’s the current Marquess of Saltersley, but the title belonged to his dead brother, so he refuses it.

He’d much rather be designing mansions than living in a rambling castle.

He doesn’t want to be the future Duke of Lindow, but he accepts his fate.

Sign up for Five Fabulous Things here and hopefully you’ll win a prize! Did you know that I give away five fabulous gifts every month in my newsletter? Sign up now so you can win everything from advance review copies of my books to presents I pick up in England and Italy!

Giveaway Alert

Our stop on the scavenger hunt is giving away a set of the Desperate Duchesses series and a peacock keychain. Just visit the link below, fill out the form and you’ll be entered.

About the Author

Eloisa James

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa’s very first book that she “found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar”; later People Magazine raved that “romance writing does not get much better than this.” Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers’ Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.

After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her “double life” is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she’s written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women’s magazines such as More to writers’ journals such as the Romance Writers’ Report.

Eloisa…on her double life:

When I’m not writing novels, I’m a Shakespeare professor. It’s rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I’ll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It’s like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.

When I rip off my power suit, whether it’s academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.

So I’m a writer, a professor, a mother – and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.

One more thing…I’m a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers’ pages.

Quote of the Week

“Carson McClain, you scare me like nothing has ever scared me before. You drive me crazy and make me laugh and push my buttons on purpose. You make me feel safe and smart and pretty. Sometimes I think I might actually melt when you wrap your arms around me, and right now I feel a little bit like I might die if you don’t kiss me.”

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